The Federation of Wine Merchants’ Association in Karnataka has called for a state-wide protest on November 20, demanding all liquor stores remain closed on the day.
The association has alleged that during a protest meeting on the issues and demands of the excise industry in Bengaluru on October 25, excise officers admitted to accepting bribes from superiors for transfers and promotions.
“They also extort significant sums from licence holders under the pretext of bribes, as confirmed in the meeting attended by over 3,000 licence holders. We assert that the excise department, being a non-funded department, should be overseen by the Finance Minister, who must work to curb corruption within the department,” it said in a statement, adding the association also demands a meeting with the Chief Minister to discuss these issues.
However, it said, none of the association’s office-bearers has spoken of bribes amounting to ₹500-700-900 crore. “We have never funded an election, nor do we intend to. The mention of such matters in elections in Maharashtra and by-elections is disheartening, as our organisation is politically neutral,” it said.
The association’s President S. Guruswamy maintained that for 15-16 years, several excise ministers in previous governments had collected money from officials for transfers and promotions. The issue had reached a point where it has become intolerable for licence holders, leading to its public exposure, it said.
“In 2018, when we raised concerns about bribes in a meeting with the previous excise minister, there was no resolution. Protests were quelled after a superficial meeting. The reduction of our profit margin from 20 per cent to 10 per cent during the tenure of then-Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu remains unexplained. Our industry is struggling with various issues, and we have appealed to the government. If we were involved in election funding, would we still be protesting? The proposed bandh is directly related to our demands,” said representatives of the Wine Merchants’ Association.
The association has requested a meeting with the Chief Minister to address their demands and issues and has urged the government to take action against corruption within the excise department. The protests will address the same.
Other demands of the licence holders include a minimum profit margin of 20 per cent on retail alcohol sales, and allowing drinking within CL-2 establishments (retail shops for vending Indian-made or foreign liquors).
The association has also requested extra counters in CL-9 (bar) establishments with a fee, and to amend the law to allow alcohol and beer to be taken away (parcel service). Other amendment requests include taking a fair decision regarding MSIL licences, and enforcing strict laws against fake alcohol under the guise of duty-free sales from military canteens and other states like Goa.
Other demands include ensuring excise officers are suspended for corruption under the 1988 Anti-Corruption Act and are not reinstated to executive positions in any district.